When To Delete {Editing Tips}

 

All I can say is: be ruthless when it comes to anything that’s — clunky (awkward), redundant, superfluous, extraneous, clichéd, telling, overdone…

When it comes to having a nice fluidity to your narrative you have to ensure you remove things that simply don’t need to be there, simple! Take them out and if it still works then you are on the right track. Some writers think they have to say it in unique and interesting ways. While, to some extent, that might be true it can, if you work too hard, really feel forced. Then it simply doesn’t work! I have seen some wonderful metaphors and similes lost in a crowd of metaphors and similes! The trick is to use such devices sparingly and in just the right place. This gives them power. Got it?

 

Here are just a few things to ponder… I will talk about filler and the things you can lose from the actual story tomorrow!

• Description — this is important for allowing the reader to really ‘see inside the moment’, to visualise it as you intended them to, but they don’t need every single detail drawn in for them — just enough and perhaps more importantly to create the right mood, or tone, perhaps, even, to create the right sense of danger if you are leading them to the edge of a cliff face, for example. Sparing, yet vivid wins the day! So it really does come down to how you use your words and which ones. And if in a moment of great tension then whatever you do don’t stop to admire the view, make the description an active part of the movement itself. Look at how other writers do it!

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• Look at things like attributions; the ‘he said/she said’ in dialogue. You will find that a lot of the time you can remove these as long as you can stay with the flow of the conversation. Better to show some body language so we know who said it. And don’t write  ‘they paused’ — create the pause with an action! None of us stop and pause, well not really! Lose adverbs that are redundant if we can see how something is done or said. Lose different words for said when said is just fine (I have talked about this before!) Punchy and sharp!

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• Lose clichés as these are considered to be lazy prose! The tears streamed down the face… ugh! How about she dabbed her cheeks or some other more interesting way to show she was crying!

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• Telling tags: These tell why something is done or said when it’s usually obvious! She stopped the man to ask the time because she was worried she was late. Telling! If we see her rush and ask the time as she rushes we can see it, it’s shown! See what I mean?

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• Lose ‘that’ and ‘very’ and ‘just’: a lot of the time … see some of my deliberate crossings out. Also see the use of italics when I think the word is more functional so I left it in…  The way that he said it made her smile; he was just so angry (more active?); she was very jealous (though better to show this through actions… right?) Also think about some of the adverbs we overuse! Like ‘suddenly‘… So often there is no other way to interpret the action so lose it and just show the action!

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• Pleonasms: nodding the head; shrugging the shoulders; thinking in the mind… Where else? Get the idea?!!!

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The message here is very simple: if you can lose it, lose it. That way the writing becomes sharper! 🙂 Only repeat expressions or use words that are less functional in a sentence when part of character voice and there is a difference as I will show you later in the week!

Happy Tuesdaying!

 

 

Be Consistent {Quick Copy Editing Notes 3}

We all know we need to be as consistent as possible in voice; if you’re using a teenage narrator  for example don’t suddenly start using words in her thoughts and dialogue she’d never use, make sure you are consistent for character. But that’s not what I mean here and I include it as its own set of Copy Editing points as consistency in formatting and more commonly how we use words and phrases is one of the most common things I see when I copy edit.

The rule is: BE CONSISTENT. Be pedantic as you proof something for submission.

When words or combinations of words have different spellings, hyphenation or indeed capitalisation then you need to be aware of the form you use and use it throughout.

Common examples:

OK and okay are the correct forms, not ok, and do not use them interchangeably.

Ice cream or ice-cream: either is fine but again be consistent.

Recognise or recognize. The use of the z is more American English, but since how we use words is not defined by specific unbreakable rules but by common usage, it is now acceptable to use either form, but be consistent and don’t switch between the two. If you’re going to use recognize then you need to use realize, actualize etc. so the consistency will need to be throughout the piece.

Capitals: my mum is correct. My Mum is not: use a capital when used in place of a name.

Proper Names and Proper Nouns: it’s the teacher (small letter — common noun) but the teacher’s name clearly uses a capital (proper noun) Mrs Jones but you might use names like Teacher Jones and assign it a proper name status and therefore use capitals.

Job titles, types of animals, compass directions strictly speaking do not need capitals:

He was a vicar (small letter) but his name as above, Reverend Peters would need capitals for his title.

He photographed the lion (small letter in lion) but sometimes people opt for a capital as a stylistic choice but if you do, then ALL animals need to be afforded the same status.

We headed south. He lived to the west. He loved north Wales.

This is a more tricky one because you can say we headed to the West and use it as a proper name, but again be consistent. And I always think if the place name includes its direction like North Korea then use capitals for the complete place name (proper name). I like North Wales although my publisher said it should be north Wales in my bio!

Also think about how you use capitals in places: Paddington Station: proper name uses capitals, not Paddington station.

Names of bands, places etc. need capital letters, and brand names: He worked for Microsoft. He played guitar for Bon Jovi.

Also with brands you have to make sure you check how they spell it and stick to that so: iPhone not IPhone or Iphone.

Also when you use film, TV, book titles, album titles, newspapers etc use italics and make sure you not only spell but use capitals as they are used on the correct title: the Sunday Times, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, EastEnders.

Some phrases are often hyphenated: for example she was a fifteen-year-old girl is correct. But she was only fifteen years old does not need hyphens.

Numbers tend to use hyphens, I prefer that form: twenty-one, thirty-three etc. Again it’s more about consistency but compound numbers generally ought to have hyphens! Look at your chapter headings and in your text: which form do you use? BE CONSISTENT!

When I used to copy edit for a publisher on paper I had to identify as I read any word or phrase I thought might have an alternative usage so when I came across it again I could check consistency. Same with colour of character’s eyes etc: it was time consuming as you would be amazed how often we get these things wrong. We all do! I am pedantic about it now but they still creep in!

Now that publisher tends to send everything electronically it’s a lot easier, Find and Replace is a valuable tool. I tend to be quite good at noticing but I highlight words to check as a final read and I either leave that for the writer to adjust or change them all to the most commonly used form — so long as they are all the same form!

Be aware as you edit!

Find and Replace!

That’s all for today! Have a great one! Feel the buzz!

Seeking page-turnability …

One of the things I tell readers I work with is you decide when your reader pauses. You set the pacing.

Creating the kind of book that really grabs has always been one of my missions. There are so many stories and so many novels where I falter, am not as gripped as I ought to be and any excuse to put the book down, go make a coffee can lose your reader. But how do you keep those pages turning and stop that happening?

Clearly you need a good plot, one that keeps moving and this means not overloading it with filler. By this I mean too much back story, complicated sub-plots that do not tie into the main plot, extraneous detail. Readers will see through this and it will turn them off. So this means you have to really tighten your plot so it all feels credible and it moves the story onwards. Anything that can be removed without the main plot tumbling probably can be removed full stop.

It’s the function of the second BIG edit where you address issue sf plot, characters that don’t need to be there, filler etc.

And also think about narrative devices, teasers that end  chapters and have you read the next chapter right away!

The validation comes with the kinds of comments I am getting with reviews about like not being able to put the book down I say a big “PHEW” . You can get there, but you have to be brutal when you edit and tight with your plot and your devices.

Well that’s it for now, have a wonderful day. I am now trying to resolve some plot issues with the current novel… means a lot of note jotting and rocking in my chair … now there’s an image for you … complete with cats too! In fact I am feeling like a real writer! And what a wonderful way to spend the day!

Keeping the dream alive … responding to criticism

I was reading an article this morning about how we receive and how we give feedback and criticism and it made me think.

As a writer I am no stranger to having my work picked over. Fortunately those who have, have always been encouraging even if there was plenty to address.

I also give feedback as part of my day job and I like to think I have developed a style that is encouraging and empowering, but at the same time, honest. It has to be.

What I did was look at what I want from a critique, honesty first and foremost, but no point in saying what’s wrong if you can’t offer a fix, an idea, a suggestion. This is where I think various things combine — me being a writer myself, the fact I work in publishing (albeit on a small scale) but I have worked with lots of stories and lots of writers to know what works, being a reader helps, and my MA alongside numerous other courses so I have a strong grasp of what works and what techniques to use to make things work better. And like you, I return to books and I read magazines and I make sure the advice I give is as solid as it can be.

I once had someone critique my work who just said things like — nah, boring, cut, don’t believe you — and no offer of why or how. I found it demoralising. And I vowed I would never do that or make someone feel that way.

Yes I have worked on manuscripts by very new writers that need a lot of work, but handled right, the comments and suggestions and advice make it clear they have a lot to learn, but a good teacher empowers and makes the student want to learn, and doesn’t demoralise or make them feel like giving up forever.

It helps I am, a ‘people’ person, or I like to think I am, so I approach the job with passion and enthusiasm and do go the extra mile for people. I love it when they tell me they can see the improvement and when they start to have success.  And since I have my publishing contacts, the various projects I am involved in, like CafeLit, I do offer ways to kick-start careers where I can and have suggested they submit to various collections.

Not everyone can teach, I like to think I have the balance right between honesty and encouragement. All I can say is it seems to work and we start the official first full week of work this year, I have a full board of jobs and lots are new clients, as well as familiar faces — so I look forward to what we can do together.

2014 is going to be a great year, come along and see!

Have a great week everyone!

Ps the kindle version is still 99p!

 

Here we go … setting your writing goals

Yay it’s a shiny new year! Don’t spoil it!

I don’t know about you but I love the feel of a new year. I used to see it as a way to start over with new paper, clean diary, new goals but now I see it more as a restoration of the default setting and to make sure I am still on track.

Resolutions are usually broken within a couple of weeks so I prefer to think it terms of setting realistic goals and this can be at any time, but then pushing yourself to achieve. If you see it as a chore you will never succeed. If you  just keep making lists and moving the writing one down further, or pushing deadlines too much, the initial relief you feel will fade and you will still feel like a failure.

I am very driven anyway and I remember spending new year’s with  friend a few years ago and one of the first things I did in the new year was buy a copy of Writers & Artists Yearbook for that year and say — I have to stop getting rejected and I will do what it takes to find me an agent or publisher. At the time I think this was with the infamous Colourblind and I adopted a new approach by being more choosy in the agents I contacted. While I soon learned at the time my writing was not quite there, the agents who did look at it mostly asked to see the rest of it and it was certainly better than my send to all approach as a novice!

When I knew it wasn’t good enough I then set out new goals and took more courses and in my case studied for my MA too. I went back to short stories to learn the craft. I was determined and still am. But an important lesson I learned was that like evolution and indeed ecology, we must adapt to a changing landscape in order to move forward.

At this melancholy time of year we often look back. So look back at some of your earlier writing as this is a wonderful way to see how far you’ve come. We never stop learning.

So here’s some advice for those with manuscripts and the dream  that this will be the year, how much have you worked and reworked that MS? What has the feedback been like? Are you still trying to flog a — no I won’t say it, are you still trying with the same novel you wrote ages ago? There comes a time when you have to move forward with the next one, as I had to do with Colourblind. That isn’t the same as giving up, it’s learning, adapting, taking what you learned from each step and progressing and one day you will come back to that MS with fresh eyes and be able to do it justice. You will see why it was rejected.

I am a lover of lists and I live for the dream, but not just the realisation of it, the ride to get there which is why I say you should celebrate every success along the way, it’s all part of the journey. And we never stop learning.

For me as well as my having to keep telling people about my book (still 99p on Kindle it seems!) and planning the LA trip etc, I am now having to focus on getting the next one submitted and being prepared for rejection because it will come — but let’s hope this is the year I find me an agent.

We need goals, but just don’t set yourself ones that mean flying before you have learned to walk, the oh sod it, let’s just self-publish this anyway approach. You know what I mean, sending it out there when it’s not quite ready. It is a long ride, but if you want it you will get it.

And anyone who missed my Essex twang I was invited onto a Radio Show on New Year’s Eve. Funny as I follow a couple of Essex radio stations on Facebook and that morning it had asked for people to sum up their year in 5 words. I chose: My dream finally came true. And in a short follow-up said why. Apparently it was read out on BBC Radio Essex and I was picked up for the Mike Forrest Show that goes out to 39 local radio stations in the BBC! So that was a great way to end the year. Oh and when you listen, sorry George Clooney! I only meant he is too old to play Gary in the film (since Gary is in this 30s) I’m sure I could find a role for him and no way is he too old, oh George … fine!

Mike Forrest Show 31/12/2013

(about 23 mins in)

Welcome to 2014! 

Come fly with me!

PS if anyone wants to contribute a piece to CafeLit here is the link: CL

Bridge House are now open for short story submissions: BH

And if you want me to start up Fiction Clinic on the last Friday of the month, I am seeking 500 words that need a little online TLC. |Email them to me

Oh and I have revised my prices on novels and novella work finally on my website but there is still an introductory discount for new clients

Tomorrow I will share a link for a little guest blog post I did!

Glowing in the Limelight

A little later than usual this morning as got up and got on — lots done early, mainly house cleaning!

But here I am. I’ve had a crazy few busy days since I came back but three big crits successfully delivered and can now just write today and look forward to my visit from Lee’s parents and my trip back to Essex tomorrow. I have other work lined up too so will get to that before Christmas but nice to relax a little and do what I love the most — WRITE!

I will keep this post short and sweet and leave you with the link from my interview in Glow Magazine!

GLOW

Enjoy!

Keep on LIVING THE DREAM GUYS!

 

The Writer’s Journey

I have talked before about the importance for me of belonging to a writing group. I joined the Bangor Cellar Writing Group in April 2007 and somehow found myself in the chair in October of the same year (and for the next three years — now Vice Chair!). The time I joined the group was a difficult time for me, still coming to terms with losing Lee, BUT it opened up the world I so needed to be part of. It amazes me that since then I have had twenty stories published, won three competitions, been short-listed in many more and this week sees the launch of my debut novel! I am quite astounded! 

But this isn’t meant to brag, writing is a long and sometimes tough process, so I want to say that it proves with hard work and determination you can get there. Really. And so it will for those out there with the same dream and prepared to put in the hard work.

My writing group became a whole lot more than advice, ideas and inspiration — for me it is more about the personal support. It’s about the people who have been there for me and continue to be there for me and who I owe so much. They taught me above all that this journey we are all on, one that involves many hours spent alone at a computer, really doesn’t have to be an isolating one.

Tomorrow we have a showcase at the Bangor Museum, the very place I had my first ever book launch and where I dedicated my first ever reading to Lee — my story Jigsaw that was published in the Making Changes collection by Bridge House. The Showcase evening this week will allow members of the group to share poetry, short stories and novel extracts to the family and friends of group members and we hope some of the public too! I will give another reading from the book, might rehearse one I haven’t done yet as some of the same people were at the launch. And I have a few copies of the book to sign as well!  Other writers will also be signing  published work.

So five years to the week, after dedicating that first reading to Lee, I now launch my first novel, also dedicated to Lee. It feels right somehow.

So this journey has a circular feel and some of the bumps in the road are gone — but now I feel ready to pull out of the centripetal loop to take on what comes next. I can hear Lydia’s voice in my head as I think that — “You a big ol’ Catherine Wheel, girl, whizzing up a storm.”

I hope the book leaves a trail of fireworks.

Now is that odd time when I wait to see how it’s received and what kind of reviews I get. 

I was thinking about that last night when the first of my friends says she read the book this weekend. She said great things about it and asked me questions. She said she was really hooked. Phew.

But reviews are not like critiques.

I have learned to be really receptive to the kind of criticism a critique entails as it all feeds into the creative process of making your MS as good as it can be. Reviews, on the other hand, are criticism on a done deal. This book is finished and I can’t change anything. Some will love it, some will hate it — I just hope not too many are indifferent. Better to have an opinion than no opinion.

I think I need to learn how I will cope with bad reviews. Smile graciously I think is the only way because the very fact it was accepted and published shows someone loved it.

But let’s hope most of the people love it most of the time!

It’s a crazy journey — but a great one. Come along for the ride!

In the area? Come along!

 

In The Spotlight :New Spotlight on Crime Series Stephen Puleston

Please welcome to the spotlight in the first in a new series showcasing some crime writers Steven Puleston. Steven is a member of the novel critique group I am part of and also co-edited the Bridge House Crime after Crime book. He has just released his first two novels to Kindle — so big warm welcome …

Have you always wanted to be a published writer? Tell us something about your path to having your first book/story published.

I have been writing for a number of years. Initially I didn’t concentrate on crime fiction having written three un-published novels previously. As I have a background in the law I decided to take advantage of my training and experience to write crime fiction.

Do you have an agent? If not did you try to get one? Any advice about that?

I don’t have an agent as I took the decision a year or so go to self publish using the various E digital publishing platforms. In 2010 I was signed by an agent who was very enthusiastic about my work. I spent six months rewriting my first novel Brass In Pocket with his editor but he subsequently decided that he didn’t want to pursue trying to sell the novel. In today’s market, with publishers not taking submissions other than through literary agents, they have become very powerful in the industry. If you’re thinking of submitting to an agent always follow their submission requirements to the letter and have your submission properly proofread beforehand.

Do or did you ever belong to a writing group? Crit group? Did you ever have someone professionally critique your work before first submitting? Or do you have friends or anyone else who sees it before you send it off? 
Belonging to a writing group can be very helpful for a writer as we can all draw inspiration and help from others with the same interests. A crit group is even more helpful, especially one with members that offer constructive and helpful criticism. I always have my work professionally edited and proofread as well as it being subjected to critiquing from colleagues and friends.

Can you tell us something about working with an editor? How important is that to you now – is there a lot of discussion and does the editor make a real difference to your work?

A good editor can make an enormous difference to every piece of work. An editor forces the author to think about every word, every sentence and every paragraph. It makes the author realise that no matter how precious we may be about our work the important thing is writing well.

How much marketing have you had to do? How comfortable are you with self-promotion?

Having a background in business makes me more aware of how important marketing has become particularly for self published authors. Although I’m comfortable with marketing it is one of the things that takes me away from my writing

Tell us about the latest published books …

Brass in Pocket
It is the middle of the night …The road is deserted …A killer is waiting …
Two traffic officers are killed on an isolated mountain pass in North Wales. Inspector Drake is called to the scene and quickly discovers a message left by the killer – traffic cones in the shape of a No 4.
The killer starts sending the Wales Police Service lyrics from famous rock songs. Are they messages or is there some hidden meaning in them?
Does it all mean more killings are likely? When a politician is killed Drake has his answer. And then the killer sends more song lyrics. Now Drake has to face the possibility of more deaths but with numbers dominating the case Drake has to face his own rituals and obsessions.
Finally when the killer threatens Drake and his family he faces his greatest challenge in finding the killer before he strikes again.

More here: LINK

Speechless
The body of a young Pole working in Cardiff is pulled from the River Taff. His tongue has been amputated in some sort of ritual.
More murders in the Polish community take Inspector John Marco and his team into the East European immigrant community and the murky world of people trafficking.
But what is it that links all the deaths together?
When the evidence points to one of the city’s criminal and the involvement of a gangster from Poland Marco faces the challenge of gathering evidence from a close knit and secretive community.
And why do the Polish Secret Service seem to be interested?
When Marco finds himself entangled emotionally its impossible for him to think clearly. In search of an answer Marco travels to Poland only to find himself implicated in a murder and hoping he can avoid another.
Racing back to Cardiff he hopes he has enough to unravel the case and arrest the perpetrators.

How did the idea for the book come about?
Brass in Pocket — Driving over the Crimea pass near Blaenau Ffestiniog where the first two murders take place.

Any advice for writers who are trying to get their work published?

The publishing world is changing so dramatically now with self published authors becoming commonplace but the important thing is to write well. Go on a course, join a writing group have your work critiqued, accept criticism and keep writing.

If you could go out for a meal with any author (from any time) who would it be and why?

Raymond Chandler, because he’s probably one of the great crime novelists of all time. Although he only wrote a handful of books they all stand the test of time. I probably reread The Big Sleep every year wondering just how he managed it.

Buy Me

The first three chapters of the two currently published books are available on my website www.stephenpuleston.co.uk

Thank you Stephen for your great interview. If anyone else has written a crime novel and would like to be part of this series then please do get in touch …

Fingers in lots of pies …

Although I  see myself first and foremost as a writer, my editing and critiquing  job also plays very much into that and I am quite convinced that it has made me a better writer.

Editors  comes from all sorts of backgrounds, some have degrees in English, some studied journalism, some learned by being hired by a publishing house. And very much like writing, when I started to work as an editor I was lacking in self-confidence because a part of you always feels like a fraud! Am I really qualified to do this?

Scientific writing was very much a part of my job for a lot of years and creative writing was a hobby until the obsession took over. I learned to edit or perhaps first of all critique by being part of a group and later studying for my MA in Creative Writing. Working at Bridge House Gill kindly gave me free rein on a number of projects and taught me the basics of copy editing. I then did a course on copy editing and proof reading although ironically I found it hard to get the assignments done in time as I had too much copy editing and proof reading work! But the course taught me mostly what I’d already learned although the proof reading symbols were new and I often have to use with one of the publishers who hires me regularly.

I think the biggest validation has to be repeat business and I have so much of that both privately and with the small presses that hire me. My confidence has perhaps not soared to tackling a big publishing houses but then do I need to? I am a writer who edits and crits and publishers books and does workshops to fund the writing career and I don’t want a career solely as an editor.

I still feel like a fraud sometimes — as if I should have a degree in copy editing or something, if one exists, but I keep being re-hired so I guess the doing is the proof in the end. And like writing, I continually learn from the process.

I also worry about missing things but since I have also worked with an editor I see that to as humans we always miss some things. That’s why you have a copy editor and a proof reader and often you need more than one.

It is great though that so many clients say nice things — phew and of course a huge validation came from an agency’s approval of my work.

So I feel happy and confident in my role.

That said, I can not tell you how many times I have read the stories in the new Wild n Free book, even before the document went to the designer, to try to avoid lots of changes post design. I had another set of eyes on it as well and still when I read the PDF this weekend I found a fair few things I’d missed! And it also requires checking pagination, uniformity of headers, contents same headings with capitals in the same places throughout and in contents etc. There’s more to it than you realise! And I wonder if I looked at it all again today what else I might see? I hope nothing. But it went for the final stage with these corrections to the designer yesterday and I will have one final look before I sign off on it and send it to the printer! I worry about children’s names and check and double-check so many times it’s like checking you have your passport at the airport and I know the heart rate will be up when I finally press that button to upload the book and later when I accept the hard copy proof!

Sometimes I wonder about this phrase ‘jack of all trades’ and would love it if I could employ external editors and proof readers on projects like this where I am too close to be as objective as I might like. But since I lose money on this project usually I can’t afford to do that! I hope the end result will be perfect but I have  come to learn that nothing ever is quite perfect! Although I do beat myself up and have paid for revisions because I know there is a grammar error I missed!  I guess what being this ‘jack of all trades’ at least has taught me, on a small-scale anyway, is  how publishing works and I know this also helps a huge amount.

It is a busy old time for me as it seems there are FIVE titles out next month connected to yours truly! How’d that happen?

The biggie of course and enough in itself is the novel.

The same day I hope Wild n Free Too is out.

Around the same time I also hope the Springbok Anthology I co-edited and have a story in, is out.

Around the same time as well the eBook with my winning Bath Short Story (no not a story about a bath!) is out.

Oh and while it is supposedly out I am still waiting for my copy of You, Me and a Bit of We from Chuffed Buff Books that is out about now!

Woo hoo! November looks like one big launch party!

But I still have to work and do lots of marketing things and also at the moment, as well as sorting all the details for my launch events, our writing group has a showcase evening the week after my Bangor launch. So while I will take a lesser role and work with the team I did write a press release and am sorting copy for posters etc. And work out a running order for the event. It is all go but I love it!

Anyone who is in Wales or would like to come to my Bangor launch I am attaching the poster below. Also in Welsh on as I live in a bilingual society even though I have to confess to my Welsh being no more than a few diochs and panads! (Look it up!) So many thanks to a friend for the translation! Posters now in situ. A few more still to be walked around!

So yeah it is busy — but would I have it any other way? Of course I bloody wouldn’t!!! And Welsh friends — the Bangor Cellar Writing Group Showcase evening is October 30th, 7 pm at the Gwynedd Museum & Art Gallery (near the library) and all welcome to that as well! I will have a poster soon!

All this and I am also plugging the new Paws Competition! What fun!

 

Have a great week all!

 

 

Ps Essex people, the launch is on November 22nd a poster will be on here for that as well!

Ramblings on being ready to submit …

After all the excitement of the cover reveal yesterday, and then as it turns out, the publisher had given me the not quite final cover which only added to the excitement and led to another reveal later, (yesterday’s post now has the correct image) and (pause for breath) we go live with the single today that will be free to download (optional donation to charity) — emergency post with link later, (yes this is all one sentence!) — I will calm it all down a notch now before I get tucked into the novel-writing.

Phew. Breathe.

I was pondering the dos and don’ts of the submission process and there are many such posts out there. I won’t give a step by step common sense list — only to say one thing — ALWAYS FOLLOW THE GUIDELINES TO THE LETTER. And that includes how you format your work. Get it right. Hard copy proof it for typos etc. You know all this and if you don’t — you should. Points finger, tries to look like a school teacher. Fails.

No what I was pondering was this need to have it now mentality and one of the many reasons some writers choose to self-publish — because rejection hurts? What can I say — it really does. Now I know this isn’t the only or even the main reason we self-publish but it is why a lot of us do — so don’t think this is a statement against self-publishing because it’s really not. Really really. Honest.  Shakes head, nods head, shakes it again. Oh dear now I look like a stuck chicken. I think it’s great this option is available. Truly. But (always a but) — what popped into my frazzled, on the computer far too long without breaks yesterday brain was that I think of a lot of the reason why some material published isn’t as good as it can be is we submit too early. Yep really.

I say this from my experience as a very small publisher, but also, mostly in fact, from my editing and critiquing work. Writers tell me they have their novel finished and want my help and in some cases are primed and ready to start seeking a publisher or the all elusive agent (they do take people on, don’t they? Now and then? Might be an urban myth  — she jests with tongue in cheek.) If the MS is an early draft and by that I mean, first to fourth even, and a first novel — there’s a reasonable chance it’s a few edits away from finished. Finished is a bit of a myth too. Also said with tongue firmly stuck to inside of cheek. The big question is knowing when it’s ready.

We all think it is and then it’s not and end up with so many versions of it. But this is process. This is needed. Really. If you can’t cope with writing the same novel about 8 times (average I’d day) then you might have a problem. It’s in the getting it right I derive great pleasure and so can you and I know many of you do!

All I’m saying, if I have a point in my apparent, going too fast with excitement, supposed to be calming it down brain this morning, is there are  key thoughts I want to share (it took this long to get to it! Now there’s a lesson in editing!) — here they are:

1. If your MS is an early draft it’s probably not ready.

2. If your MS is a much later draft, it’s probably not ready — but if it is almost ready then a publisher/agent might take a chance on it.

3. If your MS is rejected with standard rejections and not whispers (as someone put it so well on FB yesterday) of almost there it’s probably not ready.

4. If your MS has never been critiqued or copy-edited by someone who knows, and is a first novel in particular,  it’s almost certainly not ready.

And — 5. If you decide to self-publish and any of these apply, do yourself a favour and at least have the work critiqued/copy-edited to address why it was rejected before you put it out there — especially, let me repeat, if any of the above apply.

And last, but not least, 6. Don’t publish it too early. Make sure you have gone through several edits and it is as good as it can be (and that means the critique/copy-edit) to be as sharp as possible — if you want to sell books beyond the first one (which will always sell to family and friends) aim for longevity and think future sales.

On that note if your chief aim is to seek an agent, then remember they want you for your career, not just one book and that’s really important.

Of course if your motivation isn’t to secure an agent/publisher after self-publishing, or to self-publish your way into a bestseller and you’re doing it purely for fun and that’s enough — ignore all of the above! But it’s not why most of us write. Is it? Except for the fun part, which it should always be — right?

God, where did all that come from today? Too much caffeine. Or not enough?

Going off to write and await a phone call from my publicist. (Showing off now, always wanted to say that, and it is actually true! Claire from Parthian is calling be about launchy and press things this morning) Woo hoo! Never get used to it! Keep it fun. Always do it because you love it. Really, truly, honestly.

Act your shoe size. It helps!

And today!